Recap of a Trip 13 Years ago {Train to Hamburg, July 2002}

We boarded the train with our monster suitcases and enjoyed the scenery. We passed fields full of cows and sheep as the train flew through the countryside at what seemed like 125mph! Every time the train descended into a tunnel, my ears would pop immediately.

I marveled at the sight of windmills, something that hadn't caught on in Florida at the time.

All the wind mills!

After changing trains in Copenhagen after 5+ hours and eating at the grossest Mc Donalds ever (piles of trash on the floor), we boarded another train which eventually pulled onto a ferry for a 50 minute trip across the Baltic Sea. It was such a surprise that this happened!

Sunset from the ferry.

We eventually arrived in Hamburg after 10+ hours of travel and were exhausted!

Hamburg train station at night.

The next morning we wandered around the city to kill time before our train to Amsterdam.

We came across a canal filled with swans and I had to get a photo with them. They were super aggressive and started swimming towards me while hissing. I got the photo and walked quickly away from the water.

We walked around some more and enjoyed how clean and beautiful Hamburg was before heading back to the train station for the next leg of the journey.

It was nice to be able to see Hamburg a little and stretch our legs before going to Amsterdam.

Inside the Hamburg train station.

I really wish travel in the USA was more like Europe. It is so easy and fast to take a high speed train to different countries in Europe as opposed to riding sketchy buses or taking airplanes in America.

Hamburg train station in the daytime.

Unfortunately for this leg of the trip we did not have reserved seats on the train- which meant we found a random car and just hung out for a few hours. Luckily we found a space in the bike car, which was super cramped. I say "luckily" because it was either bikes or the smoking car...

Being cooped up in the bike car with a huge suitcase for 5 hours wasn't terribly fun, but being in Europe and experiencing something completely different with friends was a hoot!

Hahaha it was blonde that month, green in HS, black red everything at some point. The past 2 years I haven't dyed my hair which is the longest I've gone since HS! Yes. Lolz at the "look at me I'm American" white tennis shoes. ;)

It's a travesty USA didn't make the infrastructure for high speed rail early on...

That's so cool you were on a train that did that too! I fully expected to have to get off the train, board the ferry and then board another train. I guess it makes sense since cars can board ferries...

I wish the USA would be more travel friendly, but it seems too late and too $$$ to get a train system going :(

Introduction

Greetings! I'm Xaarlin, and live in Chicago with my husband and border collie dog, CB. I am an accountant by day and enjoy running, discovering new craft beers, learning Portuguese, eating/cooking delicious foods and spending time with my family when off the clock. I use this space to talk about life, running, and anything else that interests me. Mikkeller Run Club Chicago Captain. Untappd:Xaarlin